5 great hotel apps for your smartphone and tablet

We here at Oyster love staying on the cutting edge, be it with hotel trendsortechnology. Wealso love taking full advantage of everything there is to experience with hotels, and there is often no better way to do that than with some handy hotel apps.

We’ve loaded up our iPhones and Androids in search of the best hotel apps around, and found these great, user-friendly apps that make our travel a lot easieranda lot more exciting: (Best of all, they pair nicely with ourOyster Hotel Reviews and Photos app, available for iPad.)

The Hilton luxury brandConradis known for making its guests feel especially comfortable, so it’s no wonder that they can cater to you not only in person, but also through your iPhone or iPad. The app makes it easy to arrange everything you need — transportation, spa treatments, you name it —beforeyour stay.

The Marriott app is great for frequent travelers, allowing them to search and book hotels directly from the app. You can search through your Rewards Account or by hotel brand, so whether you prefer JW Marriott, theAutograph Collection, or theRitz-Carltonbrand, you can easily find just what you’re looking for. Best of all, users who book their stays through the app can earn extra rewards points.

The design-centricSLShotels are dazzling, even on the tiny screen of your phone. In addition to giving users the capability to order room service and find local events, the SLS app also has celeb interviews, shopping options, and drink recipes. Guests of the South Beach outpost can even use the app from their in-room iPads.

Of course one of the coolest hotel chains in the world has one of the coolest apps on the market. The famed “Whatever/ Whenever” service atW hotelseven translates to the app, where you can order just about anything to your room. But the best features of this uber-cool app are the first-available specials to app users, and the custom W DJ playlists.

The luxuriousWindsor Courthotel is one of the most stunning hotels in New Orleans, thanks to its multimillion-dollar art collection, excellent on-site dining, and classic, romantic décor. And thanks to the hotel’s user-friendly app, guests can search and book through the app, as well as take a guided audio tour of the art collection once at the hotel.